Tuesday, August 21, 2012

I'm shocked... I did not expect this at all; especially at this point of the season. Sure, I thought the likelihood that he would be back at Dodger Stadium when the rosters expanded to be pretty high, but now?

I guess his recently pitching has been far too impressive to ignore. I suspect that he'll be coming out of the pen. Furthermore, I'd be surprised if he gets a lot of work considering he got Tommy John Surgery last year. Per a Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated right-handed pitcher Rubby
De La Rosa from the 60-day disabled list and optioned right-handed
pitcher Javy Guerra to Triple-A Albuquerque. Guerra appeared in 44 games
for Los Angeles, posting a 2-3 record with eight saves and a 2.66 ERA
(13 ER/44.0 IP).

De La Rosa, the Dodgers’ 2010 Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the
Year, had been on the disabled list since undergoing Tommy John surgery
on Aug. 9, 2011. In the minor leagues this season, the 23-year-old
posted a 1-0 record and did not allow a run to score over 12.0 innings
in stints with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and the Arizona League Dodgers.
In 13 appearances (10 starts) with the Dodgers in 2011, the native of
the Dominican Republic was 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA. De La Rosa will wear
uniform number 41.

The number of players on the Dodger 40-man roster is now 40.

Below is a video of Rubby pitching a couple of weeks ago for the Rancho Cucamonga Storm.

I will be perfectly frank. I had no idea what Gangnam Style was, and I suddenly find my "out of the loop" position a little disconcerting.

It use to be that I was a hip dude. I knew about what was coming up and what the trends where. Of course, that was 20 years ago. Ya see, I just turned 40 a month ago, and I'm only now grasping at the reality that I AM AN OLD GUY.

So, in hopes of gaining some cred I'm writing this little ditty in hopes of discovering the fountain of youth.

Gangnam Style is (according to Know Your Meme) a song performed by Korean pop star JSY, and he has gone viral. According to reddit (who I owe thanks for introducing me to all of this) his strangely weird and funny dance has taken the world by storm, and I don't quite know if the world is better off for it.

All I do know is that the guy sitting at JSY's right in the photo below from last nights game does not look impressed. He's downright miserable.

For those of you already sick of the current collectors cups offered at the Dodger Stadium should be happy to hear that the Dodgers just released this seasons third edition for this current homestand. See it above. Pic via twitter @Dodgers.

"Tonight, this guy is a tough matchup," Mattingly said. "It's a tough
matchup for a lot of guys with [his arm] angle. Matt's killed
left-handers all year long, but this guy's a tough angle. He's a tough
see.

"I think [Kemp's] been a little impatient, swinging at balls
out of the strike zone a little bit. They kind of pounded him [inside]
in Pittsburgh, and he kind of got a little conscious. That'll get you in
trouble. He needs to stay with what he does. You start looking for that
ball in, you're in trouble.”

Orel at Sons of Steve Garvey transcribes Vin Scully's broadcast yesterday about villains in the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, and how no one appears to be cast as a villain today. Vin expects that will change soon.

'Topes Tattler notes that Tim Federowicz has been named the best defensive catcher and Lorenzo Garner was named best managerial prospect in the PCL by Baseball America.

FS West notes the positive influence Manny Mota has had on Hanley Ramirez.

"I explained to him about this organization and its great history,
winning tradition," Mota said. "He told me he's very proud and pleased
and happy to wear the Dodger uniform."

Mota said he's known
Ramirez, 28, since watching Ramirez play as a youngster in the Dominican
Republic and that "he still hasn't reached his potential. He's still
learning how to play the game and he's still maturing, as a man, as a
player."

Check out a video from last night of Misty May-Treanor receiving a nice ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd.

I don't know why I haven't been doing this all summer. Today I bring to you todays. Stanley Cup Happenings. It is Kevin Westgarth's day with Lord Stanley. Pic via twitter @FoxSportsWest. BTW, since they won the cup I literally have spend at least half an hour every day watching and re-watching highlight videos. I can't help myself. The Kings winning the Stanley Cup is still unbelievable to me. I wake up every morning doubting that it happened, and find the need to remind myself that it wasn't a dream. BTW, on a side note I heard through the grapevine that Sidney Crosby is staying in Santa Monica this summer and practicing at the Kings training facility.

If you watch the game long enough you will see things you could not imagine possible. Sometimes, Baseball is just a barrel of laughs.

For instance, would you believe that a multimillion dollar pitcher could throw a pitch that would land 30 feet from home plate? Well, Barry Zito did it.

It's impossible to steal first base, right? Well, guess what? Germany Schaefer did it about 100 years ago. Heck, he stole 3 bases on three consecutive pitches without getting past second base.

And the stories can go on from there for an eternity. You see, Baseball isn't just a sport filled with gifted athletes. It is also a game filled with wonder and laughs. For that reason, I wanted to share some more vintage comic Baseball postcards from my collection in hopes of providing some comic relief.

Featured here are circa 1910's era postcards showing couples fooling around on the diamond. They are light and whimsical. On top of that, for a collector they are affordable. The average postcard like this should cost you about $5 and can likely be had for less if you find a lot of postcards for sale all at once.

I, for one, believe that no vintage Baseball collection is complete without a handful of these kind of beauties in it. It's like a homage to what Baseball really is. It is a game meant to make us cheer, pray, smile, and laugh.

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“There’s nothing like wearing a Dodger jersey. There’s nothing like it in sports. I don’t care that I’ve never been anywhere else. I don’t care. There’s nothing like wearing a Dodger jersey.” -- A.J. Ellis